curly Howard was born Jerome Lester Horowitz on  October 22nd 1903 in Brooklyn New York born of  

Lithuanian Jewish ancestry he was the youngest  of the five Horwitz brothers because of being  

the youngest his brothers called him babe to  tease him the name babe stuck with him all his  

life he was a quiet child who was an average  student babe was a good athlete and played on  

the school basketball team he didn't graduate  from high school but kept himself busy with odd  

jobs he was also an accomplished ballroom dancer  and singer and regularly visited the Triangle  

Ballroom in Brooklyn curly was interested in show  business and would watch his brothers Mon Shem  

perform as Stooges and Ted Healy's vaudeville  act always a ladies man he was married three  

times Curly's first showbiz break was as a comedy  musical conductor in 1928 for the Orville Knapp  

band though curly enjoyed the gig he watched his  older brothers Moe and Shemp and partner Larry  

fine make it Vic as some of Ted Healy Stooges  vaudeville star Ted Healy had a very popular  

stage act in which he would try to tell jokes  are saying only to have the Stooges wander on the  

stage and interrupt her heckle him Shemp however  disliked Healy's bad temper and heavy drinking in  

1932 Shemp was offered a contract at the Vitaphone  studios in Brooklyn and left the group with Shemp  

gone most suggested that babe fill the role of  the third stooge but Healy didn't like babe's  

look complaining that he didn't look funny when  he shaved his head eel equipped boy don't you look  

girlie MoMA's heard the joke as curly his stage  name naturally became then curly in 1934 Healy  

left the group to pursue a solo movie career  they renamed the act the Three Stooges that  

same year they signed on with Columbia Pictures  the Stooges soon became the most popular short  

subject performers in the history of film turning  themselves into comedy legends over the many years  

by 1944 Curly's energy began to wane he checked  himself into the hospital in early 1945 and was  

diagnosed with extreme high blood pressure a  retinal hemorrhage and obesity his hell forced  

him to rest and he lost considerable amount of  weightt half-wits holiday would be Curly's final  

appearance as an official member of the Stooges  during filming in May of 1946 Curley suffered  

a severe stroke while sitting in director Jules  White's chair waiting to film the last scene of  

the day when Curley was called by the assistant  director to take the stage he did not answer well  

went looking for his brother and he found Curley  with his head dropped to his chest Moe later  

recalled that his mouth was distorted and he was  unable to speak only cry Curley was rushed to the  

hospital where mode joined him after the filming  Curley spent several weeks in the hospital before  

returning home after Curley stroke Shemp agreed  to replace him in the Columbia shorts but only  

until his brother was well enough to rejoin the  act Curley partially recovered and with his hair  

regrown made a brief cameo appearance as a train  passenger barking in asleep hold that line in  

1947 and it was the only film that featured Larry  fine in all three Howard brothers Mose Shemp and  

Curley at the same time still not fully recovered  from his stroke Curley met and Valerie Newman and  

married her on July 31st 1947 although his health  continued to decline after their marriage Valerie  

gave birth to a daughter Janie in 1948 and the  post-stroke days Curley enjoyed playing gin  

rummy and watching the Hollywood stars a local  basketball team he and Valerie had a swing pool  

installed at their home so Curley could use it for  physical therapy a dog lover he enjoyed playing  

with his pets a collie named lady and two other  pups named salty and shorty later that year Curley  

suffered another stroke which left him partially  paralyzed he was using a wheelchair by 1950 and  

fed boiled rice and apples as part of his diets  reduces weight and blood pressure Valerie admitted  

him into the motion picture country home in  hospital in August of 1950 he was released after  

several months of treatment and medical tests  in February 1951 he was placed in a nursing home  

where he suffered yet another stroke a month later  in April he went to live at the North Hollywood  

Hospital and sanitarium and December at the North  Holly would hospital and sanitarium supervisor  

called and advised the Howard family that Curley  was becoming a problem for the nursing staff at  

the facility because of his mental deterioration  they admitted they could no longer care for him  

and suggest that he'd be placed in a mental  hospital Moe refused and relocated him to the  

Baldy View sanitarium in San Gabriel California in  January of 1952 Moe was contacted on the Columbia  

set to help move Curley for what would be the last  time eleven days later on January 18th Curley died  

at 48 he was given a Jewish funeral and laid to  rest at home of P Cemetery in East Los Angeles